Overview

Month number four marks your entry into the second trimester of pregnancy and your “baby bump” is starting to take shape. With many debilitating pregnancy symptoms well behind you, you may likely begin to feel increasingly confident and at ease with your larger belly and the overall pregnancy process.

While many difficulties remain in the far distance for every pregnant woman, this chapter of pregnancy is notable for reinvigorating women with a sense of strength, vitality, and endurance to readily take on the hurdles presented by the upcoming third trimester.

A pregnant woman in her second trimester tends to look and feel upbeat, positive and has a sanguine aura about them. Nicknamed as the “honeymoon phase” of pregnancy, this period marks a time when you and baby make great strides in tandem.

Along with your upbeat attitude comes an array of second trimester benefits such as thick and lush hair, strong and healthy nails, and glowing, vibrant skin, resulting from your placenta taking on a vastly expanded role in managing previously out-of-control pregnancy hormones, in addition to a kickstarter metabolism, and an increase in blood circulation.

While you’re sashaying about, flaunting your gorgeous pregnancy glow and thick, luscious mane of hair, baby is at the helm inside, learning an array of amazing new abilities and incorporating them into his or her repertoire of skills.

Read on below to learn more about this amazing time in pregnancy!

Your Physical And Emotional Health

Four Months Pregnant

Symptoms

At 13 to 16 weeks pregnant, you are in your fourth month of pregnancy and have entered the second-trimester “honeymoon” era. Many, if not most of the debilitating pregnancy symptoms that plagued you at earlier points in your term, will considerably decrease or subside altogether.

With many women experiencing an incredibly relieving abatement of symptoms, a sense of reinvigoration and vitality often occurs, with curious phenomena starting to occur, such as thicker and shinier hair, a significantly increased appetite, and weight gain occurring at a seemingly breakneck speed.

The increase in appetite is primarily attributed to dwindling nausea and morning sickness symptoms that create considerably more comfortable conditions for pregnant women to eat and keep food down. As morning sickness and nausea symptoms disappear altogether (for the time being), many women will find themselves with a sizable appetite.

While many pregnant women may find that the majority of their most debilitating symptoms have taken a leave of absence from their lives, there will at the same time be many women who continue to experience a range of cumbersome symptoms, many relating to gastrointestinal issues such as gassiness, indigestion, and heartburn.

Note: Heartburn and constipation can be mitigated by avoiding gas-inducing foods, as these types of foods can affect pregnancy hormones and create a slew of uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms. Additionally, constipation issues can be made worse by continuous pressing of your uterus against your intestines. To help ease constipation, ensure you drink plenty of water and fluids, in addition to incorporating plenty of fiber-rich foods into your diet

Baby is now about the size of an avocado and is in the midst of an intense growth spurt

With an incredibly efficient heart, baby

is pumping nearly twenty-five quarts of blood per day while its skeleton continues to harden, and its head becomes increasingly erect and upright

Four Months Pregnant

Important Developments for Baby

Your baby’s sex-specific developments: By this time, your baby will have developed a clitoris or penis, both of which will undergo their development inside their body

Your baby’s overall size and development: They will continue to grow at a fast rate in the coming weeks and will be about the size of an avocado at the end of the fourth month of pregnancy

Your baby’s movements: They are changing as the days go by. Formerly jerky and primitive motions are slowly evolving into slower, steadier, and increasingly purposeful movements. Baby is also now able to hiccup!

Your baby and the placenta: While your baby’s bones continue to grow to a strong and durable point, the placenta is hard at work providing your fetus with a multitude of elements such as essential nutrients, minerals, vitamins, oxygen, fats, and proteins

Your baby’s pancreas: Beginning to produce insulin essential to the regulation of sugar levels, your baby’s pancreas inevitably starts to take on a more prominent role

Major milestones: In month four, your baby will have had a fully functional intestinal system in place, has taste buds, is able to hear the muffled sound of your voice, and will be able to begin producing its own red blood cells through their tiny new spleen

Tips and Essential Information

Four Months Pregnant

With every pregnancy comes stretch marks. Instead of looking at them with dismay, wear them as your badge of honor; they are an indicator that you have traveled the important journey through motherhood. To keep stretch marks and the surrounding skin soft, supple, and itch-free, moisturizer regularly with soothing oils and lotions such as almond, jojoba, and coconut. Try to stay away from lotions that have parabens, dyes, colors, and many chemicals.

Maintaining a healthy and well-balanced diet will reduce weight gain and excessive stretch marks (eating healthily will at times be understandably difficult as you experience surges in appetite, particularly in the second trimester).

Eating a healthy diet by incorporating a wide variety of foods will ensure your baby is receiving all of the nutrition, vitamins, and minerals it needs for optimal health

If you are experiencing a craving for sweets, stock up on healthy fruit and yogurt

Salty cravings can be alleviated by mozzarella (string cheese) and lightly salted nuts such as almonds, cashews, and macadamias

String cheese is also a great way to incorporate calcium into your diet to help support the critical formation of your baby’s rapidly growing bones. Eating calcium-rich foods such as yogurt, milk, and cheese are vital for your baby’s health as well as your own

Aim to eat foods from the main food groups, with a focus on fruit and vegetables, and choices from starchy foods including cereal and bread, in addition to plenty of high-quality protein found in eggs, meat, and fish

The immense variety of vitamins and minerals found in different foods assist your baby’s growth in a wide range of ways. For example, vitamin D and calcium help to create strong teeth and bones while iron assists in red blood cell production, and zinc aids in organ formation

Harness your newfound energy and stamina to complete many of the tasks and chores you may have held off on due to fatigue and nausea

Use your newly increased level of energy and stamina to your advantage and start

Rejoice in the fact that being in your second trimester means that your risk of miscarriage has dropped by an incredible 75 percent!

Don’t fret about the appearance of hair in odd locations throughout your body. Due to hormones, pregnant women often grow hair on their nipples, stomachs, and facial areas, with most of the excessive hair growth reconciling itself within five to six months after giving birth

When you go to your doctor visits, bring your notes with you so that you can easily ask questions and write down important information to remember

Ensure that you attend your antenatal appointments. These appointments are critically important to check for conditions such as preeclampsia

To-Do List And Reminders

Four Months Pregnant

Your primary goals for month four of pregnancy should be:

Keep exercising! Strive for 30 minutes a day of light exercise, as it will pay off immensely for you by boosting circulation levels to help your baby grow, increasing your strength and endurance, and even assisting in reducing the presence of varicose veins

Add pelvic exercises to your exercise repertoire to obtain the necessary strength to endure the strain of giving birth

Explore prenatal yoga classes for a great low-impact exercise option

Start taking ten minutes out of your day to make pre-packed snacks such as nuts, boiled eggs, and fresh-cut veggies as a great grab-and-go option to stave off junk food binges

Obtain screenings for Down’s Syndrome

Obtain a Nuchal translucency screening to check for chromosomal problems

Keep an eye out for big sales, markdowns, and closeouts for any high-dollar baby items (ex. baby monitors) that you will need in the future

Keywords

Thrush: Thrush is a condition that is caused by Candida fungus, which is found in yeast and can commonly afflict women with vaginal infections. Pregnant women should look out for thrush symptoms such as white patches and spots on the tongue and in the mouth

Nuchal scan or screening: Nuchal translucency scans involve using sonographic prenatal information to detect cardiovascular-related abnormalities in fetuses. Nuchal scans can also be used in the detection of issues with lymphatic draining and impaired extracellular matrix compositions

Lanugo:Lanugo is a fine, downy hair that covers baby and will be shed at around 33 to 36 weeks in the pregnancy term and ultimately replaced with “vellus” hair. Lanugo is imperative due to its ability to protect baby’s skin from damage

Cool Things To Know

Some expectant mothers may not be able to readily determine the sex of their baby until much later in their term. Ultrasound scans aren’t always foolproof and while they are great apparatuses to determine gender, they cannot be relied upon all the time. As such, try to refrain from buying excessive gender-specific baby items until you are absolutely sure of your baby’s sex

When a woman hears the cry of a baby, her body undergoes an involuntary response and releases oxytocin in addition to a contraction of milk-production cells

30 percent of women will experience nasal congestion during their pregnancy terms

Your baby now urinates about every 45 minutes! The urine ultimately becomes deposited into the amniotic fluid

By the end of month four of your pregnancy, your little one will be about the size of a papaya fruit!

At your week 16 ultrasound appointment, if all goes well, your chances of miscarriage will have dropped to under one percent!

1 COMMENT

I am 16 weeks pregnant. My problem is anytime I try to stand from sitting or try to bend down I feel a sharp pain at my left pelvic region. Am getting scared. It happened like 2 times now. Pls what could be d cause